My London Color Adventure, Part I — the Lycurgus Cup in the British Museum.

I'm in London to promote my book The Four Tendencies, and to make my explorations of London even more fun, I decided to have some color-related adventures while I'm here.

Now, why color?

I spend most of my time reflecting and writing on human nature -- happiness, habits, the Four Tendencies, and so on. But I've also developed an obsession with the subject of color. My interest in color has become so strong that I'm even going to try to write a little book about color, My Color Pilgrimage.

Yesterday, I went to the British Museum for the first time -- how had I never been before? And I was able to see for myself the astonishing Lycurgus Cup.

Most likely, this Roman cup dates from 4th century A.D., and it shows King Lycurgus of Thrace entangled in grapevines, for crimes against Dionysus.

The cup is extraordinary because it has very unusual color properties: it's the only complete example of "dichroic" glass, which changes color when held up to light.

When the light is seen in normal light, it looks opaque green. But when light shines through it, it turns red.

The cup is exhibited with a light that slowly turns on and off, so I could watch the cup turn from brownish-green to red and back again. It's breath-taking.

Apparently, even though the museum acquired the cup in the 1950s, scientists couldn't figure out how the color change occurred until the 1990s.

It made me very happy to see the cup itself, and it also made me happy to have a little mission to give shape to my visit. I wasn't just walking around the museum, I was in search of Gallery 41 and the cup. It was also fun to see with my own eyes an object that I'd read about.

More Posts For You

Find out if you’re an Upholder, Obliger, Questioner, or a Rebel.

The Four Tendencies explain why we act and why we don’t act. Our Tendency shapes every aspect of our behavior, so understanding your Tendency lets us make better decisions, meet deadlines, suffer less stress and burnout, and engage more effectively.